Deadly Rituals
by Raven Priestess
Summary: The Ghost Adventures Crew are investigating an abandoned mansion with links to satanic rituals and reports of demonic activity. They unearth evidence of dark rituals and Zak is drawn to an object he finds. As the object's power overwhelms him, his fellow crew members are bemused by his strange behaviour. Can they figure out what is happening and save Zak from a dark influence?


**Deadly Rituals**

_I don't own Ghost Adventures. Story and original characters are copyright 2018 to myself, all rights reserved. _

It was a bright, sunny day as the Ghost Adventures crew sped along the highway towards their next investigation site. The mood was positive in their hired spacious SUV as they cruised along with Billy as usual at the wheel.

Zak sat comfortably in the passenger seat, enjoying the view and the pleasant weather. It was nice to get out of the intense heat of Las Vegas in the summertime, even if it was just for a few days. Although the weather was glorious here too, it was a considerable number of degrees cooler than Vegas, making it so much more comfortable.

"What's this location like then Zak? asked Jay from the back seat. Sometimes Zak liked to keep them in suspense and would only give minimal information about a location. He felt it helped them to tune into their own feelings and senses when they got there, rather than having too much information to go on before they even arrived.

"We're headed to an old mansion that dates back to late 1800's. It was taken over in the 1960's and opened as a hotel, but has been abandoned since the early 1980's."

"Wow, does anyone ever go there now?" asked Aaron, his eyes wide with anticipation.

"Oh yeah," Zak replied smiling, "there have been reports for years of black magic and satanic rituals taking place there and the place is said to be crawling with demonic activity."

"Oh man, that sounds awesome" gasped Aaron as Billy and Jay agreed.

"There have also been sightings of a large, black wraith like creature too, believed to have been conjured by satanic rituals" added Zak, his own excitement rising at the thought of what they might encounter at this location.

After a few more minutes Billy turned off the highway onto a quieter, country road. Zak gazed at the trees and fields out of the passenger window as he contemplated this dark, haunted location.

Finally Billy turned off the country road and the SUV slowed as it navigated the disused, bumpy former driveway up to their location. At first the driveway was lined with trees, overhanging the road and shutting out most of the sunlight giving a weird darkness on such a bright day. There was an eerie stillness to this wooded area and a hush fell over the interior of the SUV as they all glanced nervously out of the windows.

"This place is giving me the chills and I haven't even seen it yet", commented Aaron giving a slight involuntary shudder.

Suddenly the trees opened out, the drive continued for a little further and they got their first look at the old house they were going to investigate.

"There it is boys", announced Zak as they all stared at the looming, dark mansion out of the windscreen of the SUV.

"Incredible" exclaimed Billy, his knuckles going white as he gripped the steering wheel in amazement.

Zak smiled at his friend's reactions. He had at least seen some photos of the building, however nothing could prepare him for seeing it in the flesh as it were.

"Certainly has the creep factor, doesn't it" he commented as Billy slowed the SUV and finally stopped outside what had once been the grand main entrance to the building.

"You can say that again" Billy replied as they all gazed awestruck at the faded magnificance of the deserted house.

Climbing out of the SUV they all stood together at the foot of the crumbling steps which led up to the large wooden double doors.

Zak could feel his body reacting to the different energies that were coming from the house and the surrounding area. His senses were heightening and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He knew the others were sensing the energy too, he could almost feel their fear, anticipation and excitement mingling in the air around him like an intoxicating cloud.

"Ok then" Zak's voice cut through the silence, breaking the spell the house had seemed to hold over them.

"Let's get set up and we'll do our walkthrough before our interviewees start arriving".

They all snapped into action as if suddenly released from a trance. Before long Aaron and Jay stood with their cameras poised on their shoulders, while Zak and Billy armed themselves with digital recorders and a spirit box just in case the spirits didn't want to wait until their lockdown to make themselves known to them.

Zak faced the cameras and delivered a short introduction to the location, his entrancing personality and deep, rich voice evoking the atmosphere dramatically for the viewer.

Turning he led the way carefully up the disintegrating steps to the large rotting wooden doors. Taking a deep breath he confidently grasped one of the handles and turned it firmly. The door swung slowly inwards, leaving Zak staring into a dark, gaping space.

He turned to face the others who were a few steps below him.

"Wow man, don't move" called Aaron, carefully stepping down a stair, while expertly keeping his camera trained on Zak. "That is an awesome shot". He held the camera motionless, pointing upwards as Zak stared intently at the lense, framed by the doorway with the gaping blackness behind him.

"Reckon we can use that shot for atmosphere" agreed Billy, peering over Aaron's shoulder at the small camera screen.

As Aaron began moving back up the steps, Zak shot a smouldering glance straight at Jay's camera,

"Let's go wake up these demons". With that he purposefully strode through the open door with Billy close behind.

The interior of the house was musty and dreary. Zak fixed his respirator mask in place as his eyes took in the rubble and plaster strewn across the floor. Decades old wallpaper hung in strips from the crumbling walls like the leaves of some alien, papery plant. Although the furniture had long gone, Zak could see flashes in his mind of the way it had once looked. The residual energy of the house's past swirled around him as he briefly saw people from various eras going about their business in the bright, clean airiness of the house as it had once been.

They began their usual walk through, starting at the top of the house and working their way down. There were various energies that Zak and the others picked up on, from a former servant whose spirit was still said to appear in the area that had once been the servant's quarters to a lady who had once lived there. History said she had killed herself by jumping from the balcony of her room, although no-one knew why. They could all definitely sense an energy in the room which was said to have been hers. It had once been a beautiful room with large french doors which opened out onto a spacious balcony. Now, however, the doors were all but gone, leaving a ragged space open to the crumbling balcony. Fascinating as it all was, Zak however, was mainly interested in the more recent stories of demonic activity and the large, wraith like entity which had been sighted by a number of the witnesses they were going to speak to later that day.

He had sensed some dark energy as they had entered the building, however it had been faint. He suspected the creature was playing with them, hiding yet watching their every move. He'd had the sensation of being followed as they moved from room to room. Aaron had picked up on it too, commenting a few times that he felt someone was behind him, however when he spun around, nothing was visible.

As they finally descended back to the ground floor, Zak suddenly stopped in his tracks and stood bolt upright, completely still.

"What's up man?" asked Billy after a short pause.

Zak didn't answer at first, then his body relaxed and he faced the others,

"Dunno, something just hit me. I can't explain it but it was like a rush of dark energy that hit me head on". He looked across the hallway to his left at some large internal double doors.

"Whatever it was went in there" he pointed at the doors.

"Let's take a look", suggested Aaron.

Adjusting his respirator mask, Zak began moving to the doors and cautiously pushed one of them. It swung inwards revealing what had once appeared to have been a large drawing or living room. It was in the same dilapidated state as the rest of the house, however something in the centre of the room drew all their attentions.

"Oh man" exclaimed Billy as he and Zak drew closer, "I guess this is what we've been looking for".

"I guess it is" agreed Zak as they all crowded round, "Aaron, Jay, you getting this on camera?"

"You bet" answered Jay as he and Aaron began moving around the room filming from all angles possible.

Zak stood gazing thoughtfully at their discovery, his fingers absently stroking the dark stubbly hairs on his chin. At his feet was a large space in the centre of the floor which had deliberately been cleared of dirt and rubble. In bold, black lines a large inverted pentagram had been drawn in the clear space. The remains of candles could be seen in a circle around the edge of the pentagram.

"This has been used recently, looking at how clear the markings still are" commented Billy who was taking photos on his phone for evidence in addition to their filming.

"This one, yeah, but satanic rituals have allegedly been taking place here for years" Zak was still gazing at the floor, deep in thought when something at the edge of the rubble caught his eye. He bent down and retrieved a shiny, silver coloured object threaded on a thin piece of black leather. Holding it cautiously between his forefinger and thumb, he rubbed it slightly to remove the thin coating of dust and dirt.

"What you got there, bro?" Aaron had put down his camera and crouched down beside Zak, squinting at the object in Zak's hand.

"Some kind of pendant I think" Zak turned the object round in his fingers.

"It's in the shape of a pentagram" Jay leaned in close to see.

"This was used in a ritual, I can feel the energy from it" Zak announced still holding the pendant.

"Not sure you should be touching that, bro. Remember what that priest we spoke to in town told us? Don't touch anything that may have been used in a ritual!" Billy's voice was full of fear and concern, "I'd drop it quick if I were you".

Billy's words suddenly hit home and fear jolted Zak like an electric shock.

"You're right" Zak dropped the pendant at his feet and stood up. He shook his head, he felt weird as soon as he let the pendant go. He wanted to touch it again, he could feel his hand beginning to stretch out towards it.

"Zak, you ok man?" Aaron was looking at him strangely, "you look a bit shook up".

Zak shook his head, trying to clear the feeling the pendant had left in him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. There was some strong dark energy coming from that pendant. Just trying to clear it" he smiled at Aaron.

"Come on, our first interview will be arriving shortly, let's get set up".

Aaron nodded, seemingly re-assured by Zak's response and began to follow Billy and Jay out the door. Zak started after him, but something made him stop and look back to where the pendant lay on the floor. A feeling of anxiety began to fill him, he couldn't leave it here, he wanted it, needed it almost. He'd be ok if he could just touch it one more time.

"Zak, are you coming dude?"Aaron's voice from the door brought him back to his senses.

"Er, yeah. Just give me a minute. I'm going to take a few photos too, for my evidence. Start setting up and I'll be out in a minute".

Aaron stared at him a moment as if trying to figure something out, before shrugging,

"Ok, don't be long. They're due anytime now".

Zak got his phone out of his pocket and snapped a few photos of the inverted pentagram drawn on the floor until Aaron was out of sight. Keeping an eye on the door, he quickly bent down and snatched up the pendant in his right hand. He clasped it tightly in his fist, feeling relief flood through him. Part of him felt grateful for this relief, but another part knew he should drop it and walk away. Zak stood motionless with this battle raging through him. Finally one side won and he slipped the pendant into his jeans pocket and went out to join the others.

The people they were interviewing arrived more or less on schedule and Zak conducted the interviews while Aaron and Jay did the filming. Zak felt strangely elated, his energy seemed boundless and his senses heightened, almost as if he had taken some kind of drug.

This didn't go unnnoticed by the rest of the crew. Although used to Zak's exuberant personality which came across well on camera and put interviewees at ease, the others began to feel uneasy and exchanged a few concerned looks during the last of the interviews as Zak's behaviour became increasingly erratic. He seemed restless, and struggled to focus on the person he was talking to.

As the interview ended Zak strode off and began pacing around their SUV in an agitated manner.

"Is he ok?" asked the man Zak had just interviewed. He was a young guy, maybe mid to late 20's who'd had a few strange experiences while hanging around the house as a teenager with his friends.

"What do you mean?" asked Aaron, curious but not wanting to give anything of his own thoughts away.

The guy shrugged, " Not sure exactly. I'm a big fan of you guys and thought Zak was acting weird. He just seemed a bit distracted and jumpy."

The others exchanged glances before Aaron replied as re-assuringly as possible,

"yeah he's fine. There's a lot of dark energy in there and I think Zak's just reacting to it. Happens at most locations. It's nothing to worry about."

"Oh ok, no worries", the young guy looked relieved. "Well, it's been great to meet you all and be part of your show. Good luck". They all shook his hand before he climbed into his car and headed off down the driveway.

The sun was getting low in the sky and they were finally alone. Billy exhaled sharply as the young guy's car disappeared from sight down the drive.

"What the hell is going on?" he blurted out, "Zak's acting weirder than I've seen him before. Even that guy noticed something wasn't right."

"I dunno, man. He's got me worried. It seems to have started since we found that pentagram on the floor", Aaron glanced back at Zak still pacing around some distance from them.

"We need to get him away from here. That energy is still on him, even out here. He needs to do some cleansing rituals before our lockdown" Jay replied.

"Now where's he gone?" Billy began looking all around them wildly, "he was just there a minute ago".

Aaron and Jay had been standing with their backs to where Zak had been pacing, however they both swung round as one and scanned the area in front of the house. Zak was nowhere to be seen.

Aaron agreed to check inside the house while Billy and Jay continued to check the outside and begin loading their equipment into the SUV.

Cautiously making his way through the entrance, Aaron paused and listened for any sound of Zak moving around. He didn't want to go back to the upper floors if he didn't have to. After holding his breath and straining his ears for several seconds, Aaron felt confident Zak hadn't gone upstairs. He was about to call out when Billy stuck his head through the open main entrance door.

"I've just found this. If he is in here then he isn't thinking straight".

Aaron turned to see Billy holding up Zak's respirator mask. An ice cold fear ran through him like black water.

"We gotta find him dude. Any luck outside?"

Billy shook his head, "not yet. Jay's having another walk round the house. He can't have got far, we'd have seen him".

"Zak, you in here?" called Aaron. He and Billy waited silently for a few long seconds but no answer came.

"Zak, come on bro. Joke's over man. It'll be getting dark soon, we need to go" called Billy, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. Again there was no reply.

At a loss and with serious concern settling over them, they both looked at each other. Almost at the same time their gazes fell on the doors to the room with the pentagram. As if reading each other's thoughts Billy motioned towards the doors.

"After you" he said to Aaron who was already moving in that direction. They had only taken a couple of steps when one of the doors suddenly opened. They both jumped back in alarm, then heaved a collective sigh of relief as Zak emerged from the doorway.

"What are you two doing here?" he eyed them suspiciously.

"Looking for you, man. You just disappeared. We were getting worried" Aaron moved towards him a step and Zak glowered at him.

"Yeah, well I'm fine. There's no need to worry" he snapped and strode past them towards the entrance. Aaron and Billy were speechless.

"What the hell?" Aaron stared open mouthed at the departing Zak. Billy shook his head bemused,

"better get after him, don't want him to disappear again".

As they emerged into the gathering twilight, they saw Jay reach out to put his hand on Zak's shoulder in a supportive manner, although they were too far away to hear any conversation. At Jay's touch, Zak jumped like he had been burned and wrenched his arm away.

Unsure as to what Zak would do next, Aaron and Billy bounded down the uneven stone steps and raced across to where Zak and Jay were facing each other, almost in a standoff position.

"You ok Jay?" gasped Billy as they approached. Jay nodded, shock etched into his expression and his eyes.

All three turned their attention to Zak who was staring at them, his dark eyes blank and unreadable.

"What's up man?" asked Aaron cheerfully, rubbing his sweating palms together.

"Nothing" came Zak's short answer.

"We're just worried, that's all. That dark energy really seems to have affected you bro. You're acting a little weird" Billy smiled, trying to sound jokey despite his gut instinct screaming at him that this was serious.

Zak glared at them all for a moment,

"I told you I'm fine. Why can't everyone just leave me alone?" his voice had an edge to it that none of them had ever heard before, even on occasions when Zak had been angry. There was an awkward pause before Aaron tried a different approach.

"Ok, we got it wrong Zak. It's getting dark so let's go. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. Let's get back to town and go find somewhere nice to eat".

Following Aaron's example they tried to lighten the mood and act normally. To their relief Zak seemed to come round.

"Ok, this energy is a little intense I guess. Let's go" he gave a faint smile which faded as quickly as it appeared and settled himself into the passenger seat.

Glancing around , each noticed the concern in the other two's eyes, indicating that this was far from over. Twilight was giving way to dusk as Billy manoevured the SUV down the driveway and onto the road as they finally began to head back to civilisation.

It was late that evening as Zak relaxed on the bed in his hotel room. The tv was on but he wasn't paying any attention to it. He'd done his best to act normally in their company as they'd dined together in a nearby restaurant and relaxed with a drink in the bar of the hotel before bidding each other goodnight and retiring to their rooms for a well earned good night's sleep.

They wouldn't understand, he thought. They'd make him leave it behind and he couldn't do that, wouldn't do that. Things were making sense to him now. Answers he'd searched for over years were now within his grasp and he couldn't allow them to deny him now.

The vision came again, the same one he'd had at the house earlier that day. He saw himself with the proof he had worked for all these years. He would finally have the answers he was seeking. It was his Holy Grail and no-one was going to keep him from it.

He slid his hand into the pocket of his jeans and brought out the pendant. Holding it up before his eyes he saw the light glint off the silver surface. As he had done earlier, he closed his fist tightly around it, feeling the power flood through his veins. Standing up, he pulled his black t shirt over his head. Slowly he opened his fist and gently picked up the pendant with his other hand. Moving to stand in front of the large mirror on the wall, he took a deep breath and slipped the pendant over his head. It nestled comfortably against the firm, sculpted muscles of his chest. Zak smiled to himself as he touched the pendant gently before turning away to prepare for bed.

"I'm still worried about him" Aaron confided to Billy and Jay the following day as they were preparing to do some further filming and a couple of other interviews they hadn't been able to fit in the day before. They were back at the house again and Zak was beginning to display signs of agitation and irritibility similar to the previous day.

The three of them watched him as he paced back and forth. He kept touching his chest as he did so.

"It's this place" Jay finally commented, "maybe we should abandon this lockdown. I don't think it's a good idea for Zak to spend any further time here. I know we've all been affected by energies at some point but I've never seen Zak as bad as this."

"I agree", Billy replied "I don't think it's safe for Zak to be here. I don't think he'd agree to cancelling it though".

"We've gotta try" Aaron was still watching Zak closely, concern visibly showing on his face, "I have to admit, he's scaring me".

As if sensing they were talking about him, Zak suddenly stared in their direction before striding decisively towards them.

"What's up with you three?" he asked sharply, "you're all up to something, I can tell".

"We're just a bit worried about you, man. You're not yourself. This place is having a bad effect on you" Aaron said gently.

"I'm fine" Zak growled sounding anything but.

"Look bro, we think maybe we should just abandon this investigation. We don't think it's a good idea for you to be here. It's not good for you" Billy tried to sound as reasonable as he could, however Zak didn't seem to agree.

"We are not abandoning anything. I'm fine. Yeah I'm feeling the dark energy here but I can handle it" he exploded, slamming his clenched fist down hard on the bonnet of the SUV making them all jump.

There was a stunned silence as Aaron, Billy and Jay stared open mouthed at Zak.

"That's just what we mean, man. Look at you. You would never usually react like that" Aaron spoke as calmly as he could. Zak stared at them for a minute, then his expression softened slightly as Aaron's words seemed to hit home.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry guys", he looked at each of them, their shocked and worried faces touching him with their obvious concern.

"Maybe we should do these interviews somewhere else. The hotel might let us use a room or the bar area for a while", suggested Jay cautiously, unsure as to how Zak would react. To his surprise, Zak actually agreed.

"Yeah, good idea Jay. Give the hotel a ring and let the interviewees know too".

"You're doing the right thing, man" said Aaron, feeling relieved that Zak could see their point of view, "maybe you need to find someone to help with some cleansing rituals to get rid of this negative energy. We're not doing the lockdown until tomorrow so there's time".

Zak smiled briefly, "I'll be ok. I'll do some myself tonight. I'll be fine for the lockdown".

As Zak moved away to speak to Jay who had news that the hotel would let them film in the bar area for a couple of hours before the bar was due to open, Aaron stared after him. He felt relieved that Zak seemed to be coming round, however he had a bad feeling that all was still not quite right.

The re-scheduled interviews in the hotel went without any problems. The three of them kept a close eye on Zak, however he seemed to be more like his usual self, if a little quiet. Once they were done with filming they embarked on one of their favourite pastimes when on location and went for a walk round the town's small collection of antique shops. They all enjoyed this downtime and the chance to unwind and release the effects that haunted locations usually had on them. Even Zak seemed to cheer up as he browsed round the collections of weird and wonderful objects, always on the lookout for spooky items to grace his home or his Haunted Museum.

In the early evening they had a nice relaxing meal in a nearby restaurant before heading back to the hotel.

"Anyone fancy a quick drink in the bar?" suggested Aaron as they wandered into the reception area of the hotel, "It's still a little early for me to think about sleep."

"Yeah, why not" replied Billy and Jay agreed. They moved off, however Zak didn't follow them.

"Zak, you coming bro?" called Billy, feeling the concern begin to rise in him again.

Zak looked at him without speaking. Billy and Jay exchanged glances as both instantly noticed the blankness in Zak's eyes that hadn't been there a few minutes earlier. Seconds passed that seemed like eons before Zak came to again, his eyes suddenly sparking into life as if waking from a trance.

"Er, no I'll pass tonight guys. This lockdown's going to be intense and I want to be fully prepared for it".

"Ok, goodnight man" Jay replied, sensing it would be best not to push the matter further. Like the others he was also concerned and would've preferred Zak to join them so they could keep an eye on him. His mood seemed to change at the flick of a switch and they all felt happier if Zak was with them when it happened.

Billy seemed to sense Jay's thoughts as he too decided to let it go,

"No problem, we won't be long either. Goodnight".

Zak nodded, bid them goodnight and disappeared off to the stairs. Billy and Jay looked at each other. Neither spoke but each knew what the other was thinking.

"Where's Zak?" asked Aaron the moment they entered the bar. He'd ordered drinks and the barman was busy preparing his order.

"Gone to his room. He said he wanted to be ready for tomorrow's lockdown" Billy's face wore a 'nothing we could do to stop him' expression as Aaron let out a frustrated sigh.

"He's not a kid" reasoned Jay "we can't watch him 24/7. We're not happy either but we've got to trust him I guess. He's been fairly ok since we got him away from that house".

"Yeah I know. I'm not getting at you two. It just worries me when he goes off on his own. He's been ok today but he's still not himself". Aaron ran his hand across his bald head in exasperation.

"I'll check on him after we've had this drink. I'm sure he'll be ok though" he added, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than anything else. Taking their drinks they moved away from the bar to a table with some comfy armchairs to relax into.

A little over an hour later Aaron gently tapped on the door to Zak's room. Billy and Jay hovered anxiously behind him. They waited a few seconds but there was no response. Aaron tried again, a little more forceful this time but there was still no sign of life. He turned to the others,

"I don't like this, man. Why isn't he answering?"

"Could be asleep" Jay suggested although his own heart had begun to quicken. Aaron knocked again, loudly this time,

"Zak, open up dude, it's just us". They all held their breath as Aaron pressed his ear to the door.

"I can't hear anything" he announced after several tense seconds. "We need to get in there. Let's speak to reception".

"We can't do that, bro!" Billy caught hold of Aaron's arm as he went to head back down the corridor.

"We have to. Something might have happened to him!" Aaron was wide eyed with fear.

"He's probably just asleep. He's not going to thank us if we go bursting into his room and wake him up" Billy let Aaron's arm go as he felt him relax.

"Try ringing him" suggested Jay. "We should be able to hear the phone from here too if he is in there".

"Good idea" agreed Billy as Aaron swiftly retrieved his phone from his pocket and selected Zak's number.

Billy and Jay pressed their ears to the door when Aaron motioned that the phone was ringing. They strained their ears, but to their further anxiety, couldn't hear anything.

"Voicemail" Aaron spat in frustration as he ended the call. "You guys hear anything?"

They shook their heads.

"He might have it on silent" suggested Billy but he could feel his own fear kicking in.

As they stood helpless in the corridor, unsure what to do next, they heard the lift doors opening. Hope surged through them as they all faced the direction of the lifts in anticipation. Their hope was short lived as an older couple emerged from the lift and headed in their direction.

Aaron gave a sigh and began tapping on Zak's door again.

"Are you looking for Zak?" the older man asked as he and his wife stopped at a door across the hallway.

"Um yeah" replied Aaron, a little surprised by the man's question.

The man realised and gave an embarassed laugh.

"Sorry for sounding so familiar. We always watch your show and recognised you all yesterday".

They all smiled and nodded in realisation.

"Have you seen him?" asked Billy, "he doesn't appear to be here".

"We saw him coming out of his room about an hour ago, didn't we dear?" he turned to his wife who nodded.

"We said 'hi' and he responded but he seemed to be in a hurry. He looked like he was headed somewhere".

"How do you mean?" pressed Aaron, he didn't like this one bit.

"He was wearing a jacket and carrying a backpack. I thought you guys must be going on an investigation".

Thanking him they raced downstairs and out to the car park. Sure enough their SUV was missing.

"I don't believe this" exploded Aaron. "He's given us the slip. We shouldn't have let him go off on his own".

"How could we stop him? If we'd known we'd never have left him alone" Billy was agitated too.

"You're right" Aaron took a few deep breaths and tried to focus. "None of us could've done anything about this".

"I bet he's at the house" Jay announced quietly. "Where else would he go in his frame of mind?"

"We need to get there. He's got at least an hours start on us" Aaron was pacing about wildly.

"We'll have to take the trailer we were going to use for nerve centre" replied Billy catching sight of it parked nearby. "Let's get some torches and get on our way as soon as possible".

Ten minutes later Billy steered the trailer out of the hotel car park and set off with an anxious Aaron and Jay to find Zak.

Zak stared at the ringing phone in his hand displaying Aaron's number. It illuminated the darkness and pierced the silence with its noise. A small voice in the back of his mind urged him to answer. As his fingers moved to answer the call, the other voice filled his head, discouraging him. He let it ring off and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

'It was right' he thought. 'They don't need to know.'

The trailer sped along the dark highway as fast as Billy dared to go. The atmosphere was electric as a nervous Aaron and Jay stared out into the blackness, willing the miles away. Hardly anyone spoke. Words weren't needed as they all knew what was racing through each others mind.

Zak closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The darkness seemed to wrap itself around him like a shroud, its swirling blackness enveloping him. He heard the voice in his head instructing him, tantalising his mind and senses with promises beyond his wildest dreams.

'It wouldn't be long now' he thought, feeling anticipation rising through him. He could feel a pulsing energy against the smooth, soft skin of his chest. The pendant seemed alive with a power he had never experienced before. Visions were flashing through his mind, vivid and alive like no thought or dream he had ever had previously. The truth was on the verge of being his, it felt almost tangible to him. He was nearly there.

The trailer careened off the highway onto the country road. Billy slowed only enough to make sure they didn't end up in a nearby field. Aaron and Jay bounced around in the back like balls in a pinball machine.

"Sorry guys" Billy called as he centred the trailer on the road and began to pick up speed again.

"No problem" replied Aaron as he and Jay hung onto their seats, "just get there as fast as you can".

After what felt like an age rolling down the dark country road, but was only a matter of minutes, Billy slowed and carefully turned onto the long driveway. If it had seemed spooky in the daylight, it was positively eerie in the darkness. Billy was forced to slow down to a crawl to safely navigate the uneven surface of the driveway. Finally they emerged from the tree cover. The dark silhouette of the house rose before them.

"There's our SUV" exclaimed Jay as Billy pulled up in front of the house, "I knew he'd be here".

"What the hell is he doing here though?" Aaron suddenly felt nervous. He'd been so consumed with finding Zak that he hadn't given any thought to what they might be dealing with when they did find him.

Billy released his seat belt and grabbed a torch,

"Guess we're about to find out". He took a deep breath, exhaled heavily and turned to the other two,

"Let's go then".

The noise of the trailer's doors slamming shut jerked Zak back to reality. His eyes snapped open and he realised he was on his knees in front of the pentagram. The voice in his head told him to wait, it was not yet time.

Aaron, Billy and Jay made their way cautiously up the uneven steps to the front doors of the house, their torch beams carefully picking out a safe path in the darkness. As they reached the main doors, they all stopped and looked at each other. The sudden fear of what they might find almost paralysed them.

"I'll do it" volunteered Aaron after several seconds of nervous silence. Taking a few deep breaths he reached out a shaking hand and grasped the door handle. Pushing the door open they all stared into the blackness beyond.

Glancing at Billy and Jay who were standing either side of him, Aaron trained the light from his torch through the open doorway and bravely stepped forward. As he moved into the hallway he heard the other two following him. Cautiously they picked their way across the debris strewn floor until all three were standing in front of the doors leading to the pentagram room.

"On the count of three, yeah?" asked Aaron as he placed his hand on the door handle. Hearing the mumbled ok's of Billy and Jay, he began to slowly count. On three he suddenly flung the door open and three torch beams flashed into the room.

"There he is" exclaimed Jay as his light fell on Zak's face. Oddly Zak didn't seem to notice the sudden light.

"Zak, man, are you ok?" breathed Aaron as they rushed over to where Zak was still kneeling on the floor. Zak didn't respond. He seemed to be staring into space, unaware of their presence.

"Zak! Can you hear us?" Billy placed a cautious hand on Zak's shoulder and gently shook him. To their relief Zak jumped slightly and turned to face them, shielding his eyes from the torchlight.

"What's going on, why are you guys here?"

"Why are you here, man?" fired back Aaron taking Zak's arm and helping him to his feet. "We went to check on you and you'd gone. We guessed you'd be here. We've been so worried."

"I'm not sure" Zak looked around him bemused. He had been so clear as to his reasons for coming here earlier, however now his memory seemed hazy and misty, as if he was trying to remember a dream after waking up. Confused he touched his chest, feeling the pendant beneath his t shirt. The voice seemed to have deserted him.

"Let's get him out of here. We'll sort out what happened back at the hotel" Billy placed his free hand on Zak's elbow to guide him towards the door.

Once out into the cool night air Zak felt a little better. He fished the keys for the SUV from his pocket and moved towards the driver's door. Aaron quickly took them out of his hand.

"Oh no you don't. I'll drive you back. Get in the passenger side".

Zak looked as if he might protest but thought better of it and moved to the passenger door.

Billy and Jay climbed back into the trailer as Aaron started the SUV and slowly guided it back down the driveway with the trailer close behind.

"You need to tell us what's going on Zak" Aaron demanded when they were all safely back in Zak's hotel room.

"I don't know" he replied, which was partly true, however the influence of the voice and visions still hung in his mind. He couldn't tell them. They wouldn't understand.

"We've just had to race miles in the pitch black to find you. You were alone and unresponsive in a derelict house with a history of demonic activity. I think we need a few answers before we go any further" Billy could barely contain himself any longer.

As Zak stared at their worried faces, a familiar voice in the back of his mind reminded him that these were his friends and they cared about him. He was surprised to realise that the voice was his own.

"I guess you all deserve an explanation" he sighed. "I don't know why I went to the house or why I've been acting weird. The only explanation I have is that something from there has affected me, maybe some kind of attachment. I'll do some of my cleansing rituals tonight. I'll be fine for the lockdown, promise".

Aaron looked at Billy and Jay as Zak waited anxiously to see if they would accept this. There was some truth in it, but he had chosen to still keep the matter of the pentagram pendant from them.

"Ok, we believe you" said Aaron finally and Billy and Jay nodded. Zak heaved a sigh of relief.

"However, we'll all do a cleansing ritual together, right now" he added seeing Zak look as if he would protest.

"Good idea" agreed Jay "we've all been in there. It won't hurt to have some extra protection, even if we feel fine".

They all settled down and Jay began to conduct the ritual to help protect them and dispel anything negative which may be affecting them. When they finished Zak had to admit he felt better, clearer and more like his old self.

Everyone kept an eye on Zak all the following day, however to their relief he seemed to be ok. As the afternoon wore on they began to prepare for their lockdown that night.

"What do you reckon Aaron? asked Billy in a moment when Zak was out of earshot, " do you think he's ok to do this lockdown? He seems more like his usual self today".

Aaron paused thoughtfully as Jay wandered up to them having overhead Billy's question.

"He seems ok, but we thought that yesterday and look what happened! I doubt he'd agree to miss it though so I don't think we've got a choice".

"We'll have to make sure at least one of us is always with him" advised Jay, "no letting him go anywhere by himself no matter how much he insists".

"Agreed, although that could be easier said than done !" sighed Billy, sensing a long night trying to keep tabs on Zak.

A couple of hours later they were packed and ready to go. The shadows were beginning to lengthen as they set off on their journey back to the house.

Zak felt a strange feeling at the thought of going back to the house. The cleansing ritual they had all done the night before had helped him, however he could still sense a dormant presence in the back of his mind. Part of him felt uncomfortable yet there was also the feeling of relief that it was still there. The previous evenings events were still hazy to him. As hard as he tried, he still couldn't recall why he had felt such a strong need to go there. The reason danced in his mind, tantalisingly out of reach of his consciousness.

It was dusk as Billy parked the trailer at the front of the house again. With no time to lose before darkness fell, they all busied themselves setting up nerve centre and positioning their X cameras at the various locations in the house they had identified from their previous visits.

Darkness had arrived by the time Zak stood at the foot of the steps to the house, ready to deliver his usual introduction to their lockdown. With two cameras trained on him, he drew on all his charisma to bring his words to life, skilfully creating a spooky atmosphere which easily transferred from the TV screen to the viewer, drawing them into the lockdown with the crew.

As often happened, Zak divided them into two investigative pairs. To Aaron's relief Zak asked him to work with him and sent Billy and Jay to investigate the top most floor of the house.

Zak and Aaron made their way to the first floor. It was dark and they moved cautiously, guided only by the small light on their handheld cameras. Zak led the way with Aaron following just a little closer than usual. They concentrated on their investigaton, doing evp sessions and using the spirit box to try to communicate with any spirits. They were rewarded with a few voices and Aaron felt that Zak seemed ok and things were going well.

Feeling more comfortable, Aaron relaxed his watch on Zak as they moved further into the first floor. Zak suggested they each take a room on the first floor and do separate evp sessions with the recorders. Aaron hesitated slightly at this suggestion,

"I think we should stick together man, you know how this place affects you".

Zak turned to face Aaron. Although it was too dark to make out Zak's expression, Aaron sensed he wasn't happy.

"I'm fine Aaron. I'll be just across the hallway from you. I'm not going far".

There was an awkward silence as Aaron pondered what he should do. Zak had a point, he would only be a few feet from him, even if he couldn't see him. Also they weren't in the pentagram room, which was where Zak seemed to be most affected.

"Ok, man" Aaron conceded after a few minutes thought, "but only for a short time, say 10 minutes?"

"Agreed" came Zak's reply in the darkness.

"If anything happens, give me a shout, yeah?" Aaron added, as Zak turned to go into the room that was directly behind him.

"I will" Zak's voice drifted out of the doorway of the room.

Checking the time on his watch, Aaron waited until he could hear Zak moving around in the room, before turning and entering the room directly opposite. He felt a bit uncomfortable and hoped Billy and Jay would understand. He checked his watch again. No matter what, he was going to join Zak after exactly 10 minutes, not a second more if he could help it!

Settling himself he pulled out his digital recorder and began to ask questions. Every now and then he paused, listening to make sure he could still hear Zak in the other room. Hearing Zak's voice or any movement calmed his fears and he continued with his own evp session.

The 10 minutes was almost up as Aaron switched off his recorder and took a few deep breaths. He opened the door to his room and aimed his camera out into the hallway. All was quiet, too quiet. He decided it was time to rejoin Zak, however before he could take a step forward a large, dark shadow figure shot past the doorway. Aaron jumped, almost dropping the camera in shock. Gathering himself he dived for the door and pointed his camera down the hall in the direction the shadow figure had headed. There was nothing.

Hearing movement behind him, he spun round, his heart hammering in his chest. To his relief he saw Zak emerging from his room.

"Did you see that bro?" exclaimed Aaron breathlessly, " I swear I just saw a huge shadow figure rush past!"

To Aaron's surprise, Zak didn't answer but kept walking forward. His movements seemed oddly mechanical to Aaron.

"Hey, are you ok man?" Aaron caught hold of Zak's arm as he went to walk past him.

Like lightening, Zak whipped his arm out of Aaron's grasp. He hardly had time to react, before he felt a heavy blow to his shoulder and he fell to the ground. He saw Zak's feet as they turned away from him and headed off down the hallway in the same direction as the shadow figure.

Turning away from Aaron as he lay stunned on the floor, Zak continued on his way. They couldn't stop him now. It had returned to him and this time had shown itself to him as a large, black shadow. He must follow it. It was the only way to the truth, he saw that now. He felt the familiar power surge through him, stronger than he had felt it before. His senses tingled. It was finally going to be his.

Heaving himself to his knees, Aaron grabbed his walkie talkie and gasped into it,

"Billy, Jay come in guys"

The walkie crackled and Billy's voice came through,

"What's up Aaron?" there was an audible hint of fear in Billy's voice.

"Dunno man, but Zak's just attacked me and is acting weird again. Just get here now, we're on the first floor".

"On our way" came Billy's instant reply.

Struggling to his feet, Aaron headed after Zak as fast as he could. Luckily in his trance like state Zak wasn't moving too fast and Aaron soon had him in his sight again. Wary of approaching him, Aaron kept him in view, waiting for Billy and Jay. He soon heard footsteps behind him and saw the beams of two torches illuminate the corridor in front of him.

"You ok man?" Jay's breathless voice came out of the darkness near Aaron's right shoulder.

"Yeah fine, he knocked me to the ground. It was dark and I didn't see it coming" Aaron reassured him.

"Where is he?" asked Billy flashing his torch beam all around the hallway in front of them.

Aaron glanced up, Zak was gone.

"He was there a minute ago, I swear".

The three of them hurried down the corridor. Reaching the end where the stairs were, they stopped abruptly.

"Where is he?" Billy flashed his torch down the staircase but there was no sign of Zak.

"He's got to be here somewhere. He wasn't moving that fast" Aaron looked around as he rubbed his sore shoulder.

"I'll take a look downstairs. You and Jay can start checking the rooms up here. Yell if you find him" said Billy beginning to descend the stairs cautiously.

"Come on Aaron. I'll take the rooms on the left and you do the ones on the right" suggested Jay. Aaron nodded and they began to retrace their steps back up the corridor. Cautiously they entered each room, flicking their torch beams around the interior before moving on to the next one.

After checking several rooms they were almost back to where they had lost sight of Zak. They'd heard nothing from Billy and they were both beginning to get worried. Suddenly they heard the sound of movement in a nearby room just up ahead of them.

"Zak, is that you bro?" called Aaron as he and Jay rushed to the doorway.

Aaron got there first and burst through the door with Jay close behind. Their torch beams flashed around the walls before coming to rest on Zak. Aaron looked around and realised they were in the large room with the open space leading onto the crumbling balcony. He remembered being in there during their walkthrough.

"Zak, are you ok? asked Jay carefully moving closer to Zak who was standing perfectly still staring out onto the balcony. Zak didn't respond. He looked in a trance and didn't even seem to register that they were there.

Aaron fished his walkie talkie from a pocket and spoke to Billy. Leaving Zak, Jay moved to Aaron.

"He's not responding. Now what do we do?"

Before Aaron could reply Zak suddenly made a movement straight towards the open space onto the balcony. He moved quickly and it became clear he wasn't intending to stop.

"Zak!" yelled Aaron as he and Jay lunged forward. Jay managed to get a hand on Zak's jacket and hung onto it as Aaron caught up with them. Zak twisted, trying to break Jay's hold but Jay managed to hang on. Aaron caught hold of Zak's arm and began pulling him away from the dangerous balcony area as Zak struggled against them. Breathless, they continued to fight to hold Zak as Billy came rushing through the door, having heard the sounds of the scuffle from down the hallway.

"Grab him bro" gasped Aaron as Billy arrived. "I don't know what's going on but it's like he's got superhuman strength or something. We're struggling to hold him".

"No" screamed the voice in Zak's mind as the three of them fought to hold Zak from hurling himself out of the window area and off the balcony. Zak could feel them holding him and fought with every ounce of his strength. He was so near, they couldn't stop him, he wouldn't let them. They didn't understand. He had to do this, the entity told him so. Death was the only way he would find the answers he sought.

Aaron, Billy and Jay hung on as tightly as they could. Finally to their relief Zak's struggling began to abate. He was strong, but eventually no match for the three of them. He sagged to the floor with the three of them still holding him.

Billy relaxed his hold and flashed his torch on Zak.

"What the hell is that? he suddenly exclaimed as something glinted on Zak's jacket in the torchlight. He held the beam steady as Aaron and Jay leaned in to look.

"Oh man! It's that damn pendant he found in the pentagram room downstairs." exploded Aaron. "No wonder he's been acting weird, he's been wearing that thing all along".

"Why did he keep it?" pondered Jay. "He knew it'd been used in a ritual and was full of dark energy. I just don't get it."

"There's a lot we don't get. Let's get this thing off him. Maybe he'll get back to normal then and be able to tell us" answered Billy reaching for the pendant.

"It's ok, I'll do it" replied Aaron. He reached for the pendant. As soon as his fingers brushed the leather the pendant hung on, Zak sprung to life again.

"No" he gasped seizing Aaron's wrist and trying to push his hand away from the pendant.

"No, don't take it, I need it" Zak had little strength left and Aaron managed to free his hand from his grip. Billy gently but firmly held Zak's arms down while Aaron dragged the pendant over his head.

Feeling the pendant leave his neck, Zak gave an anguished cry and slumped back on the floor. He lay quietly, eyes closed, his ragged breathing slowing and returning to normal.

"He'll be ok" reassured Jay glancing at Aaron and Billy, "I think he's out of it at the moment, but he'll come round."

"I think you need to get rid of that thing Aaron. We'll put it back where he found it and do some cleansing rituals in that room before we leave. Hopefully we can dispel whatever entity is in there" said Billy, flashing his torch beam on Aaron who had gone oddly quiet.

Billy watched him for a few seconds but Aaron didn't respond. He seemed entranced by the pendant, slowily turning it round in his fingers, his eyes glued to it.

"Aaron!" snapped Billy "did you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah man" replied Aaron absently still gazing at the pendant.

"I think it's starting to affect him" Jay's voice was full of fear.

"Aaron get rid of that now!" yelled Billy "it's doing to you what it did to Zak."

Jay lunged to grab the pendant from Aaron, but something in Aaron snapped him back to himself. Without hesitating he did the only thing he could think of at that moment and hurled the pendant as hard as he could out of the window space and over the balcony.

As he did they all heard a disembodied scream and a dark mist, illuminated by Billy and Jay's torches, shot from where Zak still lay on the floor out of the window after the pendant.

Everything went silent. Aaron sank to his knees, breathing heavily.

"Thank God for that" gasped Billy.

Their attention turned to a noise from the floor and three torch beams suddenly flashed onto Zak who was dragging himself into a sitting position. Momentarily blinded by the lights, he shielded his eyes and looked around confused.

"Hey guys, what happened?"

"Are you ok, bro?" Aaron moved to kneel down beside Zak who was looking bemused.

"Yeah, I feel ok. Just a little hazy. I can't seem to remember what's been going on though".

"You've had a nasty experience with an attachment which was bordering on possession we think" answered Billy.

"What do you remember?" asked Jay crouching down beside Aaron.

Zak tried to think. He had vague memories of the last couple of days, however they seemed more like a half remembered dream than reality.

" I dunno. I remember finding that pendant and feeling like I needed to keep it. Not sure why now though. I just felt so sure with it. Like I would finally find the answers we've been searching for. The rest is kind of hazy and unreal."

Billy gave a short laugh, "you've kept us on our toes, that's for sure! I've never seen you act so weird bro. It was scary at times".

The others all nodded in agreement. Zak groaned,

"Sorry guys. I'll apologize now if I upset anyone".

"It's ok man" grinned Aaron slapping him on the back, "hopefully you're back to your old self now".

Finishing their lockdown with lighter hearts, dawn was breaking as they wearily loaded the last of their equipment into the trailer.

Zak paused thoughtfully as the others all prepared to climb into it to drive back to the hotel.

"What's up man?" asked Aaron hoping Zak wasn't going to act weird again.

"Just thinking. We need to find that could be lying anywhere around here and we don't want someone else picking it up".

"We'll contact that priest we spoke to a few days ago" suggested Billy, "he knew this place well. I'm sure if we came back with him we'd find it and he can do some cleansing rituals and blessings to try and dispel whatever is here."

Zak nodded in agreement and they all climbed into the trailer and set off back to town,

Later that day, after some rest, they drove back to the house with the local priest following behind them.

Whether the dark energy was still calling to him, Zak couldn't be sure but it seemed ironic that he located the pendant in the grass fairly quickly. Mindful of the last few days, he carefully kept a safe distance and made sure not to touch it as it was transported back to the pentagram room. A number of cleansing rituals were performed before the priest carried out a blessing using holy water.

"Hopefully that should help, boys" he said as he got back into his car to leave.

They thanked him and watched as his car moved slowly down the driveway.

Aaron heaved a sigh of relief.

"I'm sooo glad this investigation is over. I don't think I've experienced anything like it before!"

Zak grinned at the others, looking his old self again,

"Yep, it's certainly gonna be one to remember."

The End.


End file.
